Stress levels were already high, with Twilight directing her first royal Hearth's Warming pageant and unexpected snowstorms escaping the Everfree. Then the changeling army arrived.

Now, with Queen Chrysalis holding Ponyville hostage and the clock ticking on suspiciously pointless negotiations, it's up to Rarity to match wits with the invaders and save the holiday. However, as she digs ever deeper into the queen's tangled plot, what she learns could force her to choose between her friendships and her conscience.

Off-season note: This is a Hearth's Warming story like Die Hard is a Christmas movie (but with espionage instead of explosions). Don't skip it just because the holiday's over.

Critical praise:

"A high-tension thriller where nothing is what it seems." — Titanium Dragon (rating: "Highly Recommended")

"An entertaining ride from start to finish … watching all the pieces fall into place is fantastic." — Present Perfect (rating: "Highly Recommended")

"Props to horizon for an intricate web of deception. Most writers have difficulty with crafting mysteries … this one, however, had me completely fooled from beginning to end." — PaulAsaran (rating: "Why Haven't You Read This Yet?")

"It’s a rare mystery and thriller that can keep things tense and make the mystery actually tough to guess as you go along, while still feeling like a natural conclusion. ... The end result of layers unveiled and red herrings contradicted makes it sing." — Ghost Mike (rating: "Really Good")

Second-place winner in the "Behind Closed Doors" December writeoff, now expanded and revised! Featured on EqD! Rated "Recommended" by MLPmatthewl419!

Big thanks to Titanium Dragon for post-Writeoff editing assistance.

Comments contain spoilers!

What is it like to fly? Delve into the mind of a monster and find out.

Dramatic Reading by ObabScribbler and FinishLine.
The Flightless Fury - Original Song by Reverb Brony.

Daring Do has never turned away from a challenge. But when she finds herself trapped beneath an ancient temple with a haunted artifact, she may end up wishing she'd stayed home instead.

First place story in the Equestria Daily 2013 Nightmare Night Contest!

Zecora had never seen an aura as bright or as warm as Sunset Shimmer's. Thousands of miles from home, Zecora had found a kindred spirit who could ease her feelings of isolation. Their lights grew together, forming a brilliant radiance.

But the brightest lights cast the deepest shadows.

Both Zecora and Sunset have a secret, one that would put the other in mortal peril. In a single night, both secrets will surface, and Zecora will have to choose between following her heart, or her duty.

Because humans and monsters cannot coexist.

Pre-read by DrakeyC, JayMan155, and EbonQuill

An entry into Oroboro's Sunset Shipping Contest: Journeys

Cover art made by JayMan155!

Just beyond Ponyville Cemetery, Blues Noteworthy and Tritone Interval conspire for a sinister purpose: To write a musical that will raise the dead.

* * *

Thanks to Horizon, for the Versebreaker 'Verse. Though Celestia Hates Us All is a stand-alone, I highly recommend the other Versebreaker stories.
Thanks also to two very different geniuses: Mary Shelley and Tony Iommi.
Edited by GaryOak.
Reviews:
Titanium Dragon
Horizon
City of Doors

Sunset Shimmer, the Magus of Freeport, has always been of two minds regarding Strumming Heartstrings. The Equestrian spy is irritating, difficult to work with, and does a lot of things Sunset doesn't approve of. However, when an old enemy leaves Strumming on death's door, Sunset will have to decide how far she's willing to go to bring her attackers to justice.

Most ponies assume that something is wrong with Ditzy Do's eyes. Theories range from a head injury to a genetic disorder to muscle damage behind her eye. The crueler folk suggest she's just retarded. Nicer ponies say it's just a party trick she never got tired of.

They're all wrong. They're all very, very wrong.

I discovered the truth one day in conversation with her. One eye would always look at me, and the other would wander. At least, I thought it was wandering. So while we were talking, I followed it. Goddess in heaven I wish I had not. Never follow the other eye. Ever. Because Ditzy Do's eyes work fine.

She's just watching something. That... thing that's always in the corner of our eyes. And if she looks at you with both eyes?

Goddess save you.

----

Preread by BrastaAAura17, Chase Cosmicwing and dreamingnoctis. Cover art also by dreamingnoctis. Guy's a bro.

Life's tough when you're the most-wanted mare in the galaxy...

Half the world wants you dead. The other half is afraid of your help.

Flurry Heart has turned her back on her family, friends and society, but when a desperate call for help arrives, she is reminded that some things still matter. Now, she must battle her demons from the past to save those she loves - but they have demons of their own they must deal with as well.

Co-writer: Recon777

Many heartfelt thanks go out to my editors:

Developmental Editing: Recon777, BernardDK, Pawz
Line Editing: Recon777
Copy Editing: TranquilClaws
Proofreading: Oberth Effect

Without their encouragement and support, this fic wouldn't have been possible.

Check out BernardDK's other awesome art here!

Prereaders: Word Worthy, Flutterfinar. Orionwolf, Plonkett

A special nod to Pen Stoke for inspiring the character of Nyx.

Now with a review! https://issuu.com/equestriatimes/docs/040/s/10947601

Twilight Sparkle has had to adjust to a great deal as Equestria’s newest princess—safeguard the Cutie Map, solving friendship problems, managing her new guard, and saving Equestria on a semi-regular basis. However, her routine grinds to a halt when a new threat emerges in the Smoky Mountains. One of King Sombra’s artifacts has resurfaced, an object whose dark reach threatens the whole region. With no time to lose, Twilight must gather her untested guard and face the malicious power of the Umbral Shard.

A Winningverse story.

Mother sky mushrooms grow in just a few remote peaks of the Eastern Stonewood Mountains. For the monks whose subsistence and religion is built on these mushrooms, they offer far more than just a profound psychedelic experience. Eating the fruit of the mountain is said to give earth ponies super strength, future sight, and the ability to fly.

But the monks aren't the only ones interested in mother sky's power. A pegasus republic gathers strength in the west, rallying around the exploits of a ruthless general and a scheming senator. With the Stonewood mountains in their sights, the two tribes spiral towards an inevitable and horrific war.

Hypha, a young acolyte, aspires to learn the secrets of mother sky's magic and become a full-fledged monk. When tragedy strikes and his world explodes into violence, can Hypha save the secrets of mother sky's near-unlimited power from the hooves of those who would use it for evil?

A story about unlikely friendships and the cycles of history. Updates regularly.

Prereading by lovable literati TheDriderPony and Syke Jr!